A Mountain Top Experience… with Pictures to Prove It

I had a spectacular time hiking Mount Rainier this past weekend. I drove up Friday evening and scouted out Paradise in preparation for an early morning rendezvous with the mountain. I was at Reflection Lake about 5 am on Saturday striving for the perfect shot as the sun first struck the mountain. I got some okay shots, but compared to the others I have selected, they don’t quite make the cut.

A little before 6 I hit the Pinnacle Peak Trail which begins across the road from Reflection Lake. About 15 minutes up the trail I heard coyotes begin howling. It’s a little unsettling to be alone on the trail and have four coyotes howling just a hundred yards or so ahead of you. Thoughts of being alone, remote, and surrounded by animals that eat meat… and realizing that to them I am meat, gave me reason to pause. I considered whether it would be prudent to turn around, but a brief prayer later I felt like the Lord was calling me higher. And I knew He was more than able to handle the coyotes.

A little further up the trail I was struck by what a wonderful gift the Lord had given me. My new job was enabling me to hike in the Mount Rainier NP, take lots of photos, and worship Him all in one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. I realized that for most of my life I have been a Martha-like person, always busy DOING. See Luke 10:38-42. If I had not had the job change that I have, I would still be slaving away working crazy hours to put away “enough” money to retire in a few years. The Lord gently reminded me that He is able to supply all our needs. We don’t know how much is enough, but He does. The measure that really matters is not how much money we make or have, but how much of US we have surrendered to Jesus. Mary sat at Jesus’ feet and He commended her for it. This day as my heart was bursting with gratitude, I realized I was sitting beside Mary… and it was a wonderful place to be.

Pinnacle Peak across the valley from Paradise. Note the Pinnacle Peak trail up the side of the mountain which is how I got to Plummer Peak.

As I continued up the mountain I emerged from the forest out into my first scree field. You can see the trail I hiked in this picture. Pinnacle Mountain towered on my left and the jumble of rocks flowed steeply down the mountainside on my right. The views just kept getting better and better.

This was my original destination until I felt the tug to “come up higher”.

Plummer Mountain was my perch for an early morning devotional.

The maintained trail ended at the pass between Pinnacle Peak and Plummer Peak. As I snapped pictures I noticed what looked like a trail heading over the Plummer Peak. About 20 minutes later I found myself on the very top of the highest rocks you can see on the mountain above. Whenever I describe a “mountain-top experience” in the future I will think of my time on Plummer Peak.

My mountain top bench where I worshipped the Lord in the beauty of His splendor.

One more “coincidence” that comes to mind. My goal when I set out was to get to the end of the maintained trail, snap some pictures, and come back down to head to Paradise. However as I neared the top of the maintained trail I met two photographers coming down. They had been up there to catch the sunrise from the top. One of them mentioned that he was on the top and got some good panoramas. Initially I assumed he meant the place I was headed. As I took pictures I realized he must have meant something higher. As great as the view was in the saddle, I become convinced by the experience this stranger on the trail shared that there was an even better place to aspire to, a higher place to attain. So I continued upward. I searched for the path heading higher.

Our faith journey is like that. Our experiences of God’s grace shared with others is like the comments I heard from my fellow sojourner who had been somewhere I now desired to go. Because he shared a good word of what was attainable, I was encouraged to seek and find the path myself… a path blazed by others… a path that I would have struggled mightily to find if it wasn’t for those who had gone before me making a way.

A view from the trail heading up the mountain to Plummer Peak.

The shot above is toward the end of the maintained trail. For some folks this might look a little scary, but believe me, this is a super highway of a trail compared to what was ahead. As I entered the UNmaintainted trail area, there was enough of a path that I could find my way most of the time. I only lost the trail once in the high meadow about 100 yards below the summit.

That final trail is a story in itself. Just below the high meadow the trail became very narrow and steep as it crossed a large scree field. One mis-step here and you would find yourself (or someone would find your body) hundreds of feet below. The trail had it’s dangers.

A shot of the scree field as I am about to cross it.

Above this scree field I entered a meadow that you could not see from below. It was a beautiful place with a great view aimed at Mount Rainier and covered with plenty of bench-high rocks perfect for sitting and meditating. I got to a high place in the meadow and it appeared that the trail ended so I sat and talked to the Lord for a while. He spoke through the beauty and wonder of His creation all around me. It’s amazing how the fatigue and windedness almost immediately evaporated as I took in the stunning beauty.

View from my seat in the high meadow on Plummer Peak. I thought I was at the end of the trail, but…

As I slipped on my pack and got ready to head down I glanced around and noticed what appeared to be a faint path leading higher. A hundred or so feet further on it became a distinct trail leading to the top. Refreshed from my rest and now excited to be heading higher again I pushed on toward the top.

The final trail up to the peak. That is about a 300 foot drop off the left side of the trail. The right side was quite steep too, but not like the left.

The final leg was very steep and not without a heightened awareness of the danger that lay close at hand. In fact that is one of the things that I noted several times over the weekend – a very real awareness of the danger, but without fear. Caution in the approach – yes, but fear was swallowed up in a faith that the Lord was with me leading and guiding every step.

I carefully made my way toward the top on the path above. When I was within just a few yards of the finish the path was guarded / blocked by several dead trees. These snags show up all over. Because of the cool climate, the deterioration rate is rather slow so they may remain for dozens of years. These snags immediately brought to mind Dol Guldur, the evil lord’s castle in the Hobbit. But upon further consideration I decided they were simply guardians of a very special place. To slip through the closely spaced trunks I had to slip off my pack and lay down my trekking poles. Jesus said something very telling about slipping through a tight space in Matthew 19:24. “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” I had to leave my possessions outside to get through.

Guardians at the top of Plummer Peak.

A view through the Guardians.

Once through it was only a dozen or so steps to the top. I was mesmerized by the stunning view. A 360 degree spin revealed jagged peaks, deep forested valleys, and the mighty mountain. The following are a few of those scenes.

A view over the guardians.

Pockets of snow still lingered. My friends here tell me the mountain I climbed usually still has snow at this time of the year.

Mount Adams

Mount St Helens which erupted in 1980.

A view back down to where my hike started at Reflection Lake. A little over 1.5 miles by trail and a little less than 2000 feet below.

I’ll leave you today with this final shot of the mountain from the top of Plummer Peak. The time was around 7:30 – 8 am. The day was just starting and yet I was filled to overflowing with wonder. What a mighty and creative God we serve!

Mighty Mount Rainier

If you like these pics stay tuned. I have several other really good shots from the remaining time in Mount Rainier National Park to come.